The present invention relates to a container holder, in which a lid for closing an opening of a box member is attached to the box member to be capable of opening and closing the box member.
As shown in FIG. 9, a container holder provided in a center console of an automobile is formed of a main body 106 and a lid 100. A pair of axial supporting portions 100A is formed at both sides of the lid 100, and metal shafts 102, 104 are fixed on each supporting portion 100A with a predetermined distance away from each other.
On the other hand, the main body 106 includes a retaining portion 108, so that the lid 100 opens and closes the retaining portion 108. A guide hole or dent 110 is formed at each side of the main body 106, and the metal shafts 102, 104 pass through or enter the guide hole 110 to move along the same.
An arm member 112 is disposed outside the main body 106 and attached to the ends of the metal shafts 102, 104. The arm member 112 includes a cutout portion 112A to which the metal shaft 102 can enter, a support portion 112B for supporting the metal shaft 104, and a center shaft portion 112C as a rotational center of the arm member 112. Therefore, when the lid 100 is opened, the metal shafts 102, 104 move along the guide hole 110 around the center shaft portion 112C.
The guide hole 110 has a branch hole 110A in an arc shape diverging therefrom. In the condition that the lid 100 is closed, the metal shaft 104 is located at one end of the guide hole 110, and the meal shaft 102 is located at one end of the branch hole 110A.
When the lid 100 is opened, the metal shaft 102 moves along the cutout portion 112A of the arm member 112 and rotates along the branch hole 110A around the metal shaft 104, and the shaft 102 comes to the guide hole 110. Then, the metal shafts 102, 104 move along the guide hole 110 around the center shaft portion 112C.
As stated above, the rotational center when the lid 100 is opened is changed in the middle of the rotation, so that the lid 100 can be located behind the main portion 106. When the lid is opened, the lid 100 does not hinder the access to the main body.
However, the guide hole 110 and the metal shafts 102, 104 are exposed in the retaining portion 108 of the main body 106, so that neatness of the box member is prevented. Also, in order to improve sliding ability of the metal shafts 102, 104 sliding in the guide hole 110, grease is applied in the guide hole 110. In this case, grease may be attached to the inner side of the main body 106 to become dirty.
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing, and an object of the invention is to provide a container holder, in which the lid can be attached to the main body to be opened and closed without forming a guide hole at an inner surface of the main body.
Another object of the invention is to provide the container holder as stated above, in which the smooth operation of the lid can be obtained.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
To achieve the aforementioned objects, in the first aspect of the invention, a lid for closing an opening of a box member is attached to the box member such that the lid can be opened and closed. Both end portions of the lid are provided with shaft portions, i.e. bosses. Guide sections formed in the box member guide the shaft portions, so that the lid is opened and closed.
Here, a shock-absorbing member is formed at the guide section or the shaft portion, to thereby provide a sliding resistance when opening and closing the lid. Accordingly, a kinetic energy of the lid is decreased, to thereby reduce an impact when the lid abuts against the main body.
More specifically, the shock-absorbing member may be provided at an end of the shaft portion, and the shock-absorbing member slides within the guide section to provide the sliding resistance when opening and closing the lid. Alternatively, a grain, coating or the like may be applied inside the guide section to thereby increase the surface friction coefficient in the guide section, so that the sliding resistance is created when opening and closing the lid.
According to the second aspect of the invention, shaft portions are formed at both end portions of a box member, and a guide section formed in a lid is guided along the shaft portions, to thereby open and close the lid. Here, the shock-absorbing member is provided at the guide section or the shaft portion, so as to provide the sliding resistance when opening and closing the lid.
According to the third aspect of the invention, a shock-absorbing member is formed of a flexible member provided in the shaft portion, and the width of the flexible member is set to be larger than an inner width of the guide section.
Therefore, even if a space is formed between the shaft portion and the guide section due to dimensional variation of the shaft portion or the guide section, the variation can be absorbed by the shock-absorbing member provided at the guide section or the shaft section. Thus, the lid does not become shaky when opening or closing the lid, and smooth operation thereof can be obtained. Also, the shock-absorbing member slides along not only a bottom surface of the guide section but also a sidewall of the guide section, so that the sliding resistance by the shock-absorbing member can be stabilized.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, a projected wall, along which an axial end portion of a flexible member slides, is provided at a bottom surface of a guide section.
If the flexible member slides along an entire surface of the bottom surface and sidewalls of the guide section, the sliding force becomes too strong, resulting in rather a problem when opening or closing the lid. Therefore, the projected wall, along which the axial end portion of the flexible member slides, is provided to extend on the bottom surface of the guide section, so that the flexible member slides along the sidewalls of the guide section and the projected wall, to thereby obtain the adequate sliding force.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, an urging device generates rotational moment for the lid. The guide section is provided with an inflection portion for changing a direction of the moment generated by the urging device. Thus, when the shaft portion passes through the inflection portion, the lid is automatically opened or closed by a force of the urging device.